In the Bottle
How we make it: The grapes for this wine originate from the farm Middelburg in the Agter-Paarl. The very old bush vine vineyard was planted in 1974 and is totally un-irrigated. It is planted on deep Malmesbury shale soil for optimum nutrition and moisture. We taste our grapes regularly to ensure we harvest them at exactly the right time for optimum ripeness and flavour.
In the cellar, the grapes are crushed in open casks and cold soaked for two days with enzymes to extract as much fruit and colour as possible. The juice is then inoculated with dry yeast and fermented on the skins at 25-27°C for 6 days until dry. To make for a full-bodied red with soft tannins and lots of fruit, the must and skins are mixed and aerated 3-4 times per day. The skins are then pressed to a stainless steel tank with French oak staves, where malolactic fermentation takes place. Thereafter, the wine is aged for a further 14 months in a mix of small French and American oak barrels until the desired amount of wood and softness of tannins is achieved.
How to store it: Up to 5 years
Food suggestions: Luscious tannins and sweet fruit make it the perfect partner for game, carpaccio or duck.
